Ronny Munoz trial

Jessica DaSilva takes her son, Adriel Garcia, to hospital in a cab in September 2011 after he suffered severe head wounds at five months old. The child died roughly eight weeks later in hospital. Also in the taxi is Ronny Munoz, who is charged with second-degree murder in the toddler's death. The photo was one of three taken from a security camera inside the cam and introduced as evidence in Munoz trial on Jan. 8, 2014. (Handout)

/Handout/QMI Agency

Ronny Munoz-Hernandez (Toronto Police handout)

TPS/Handout/QMI Agency

Ronny Munoz, who is charged with second-degree murder in Adriel Garcia's death is seen here in the backseat of a taxi. Next to him, but out of the picture,is mom Jessica DaSilva cradling five-month-old Adriel. The photo was one of three taken from a security camera inside the cam and introduced as evidence in Munoz trial on Jan. 8, 2014. (Handout)

/Handout/QMI Agency

Jessica DaSilva takes her son, Adriel Garcia, to hospital in a cab in September 2011 after he suffered severe head wounds at five months old. The child died roughly eight weeks later in hospital. Also in the taxi is Ronny Munoz, who is charged with second-degree murder in the toddler's death. The photo was one of three taken from a security camera inside the cam and introduced as evidence in Munoz trial on Jan. 8, 2014. (Handout)

/Handout/QMI Agency

Jessica DaSilva takes her son, Adriel Garcia, to hospital in a cab in September 2011 after he suffered severe head wounds at five months old. The child died roughly eight weeks later in hospital. Also in the taxi is Ronny Munoz, who is charged with second-degree murder in the toddler's death. The photo was one of three taken from a security camera inside the cam and introduced as evidence in Munoz trial on Jan. 8, 2014. (Handout)

DaSilva, who turns 23 Thursday, admitted she lied initially to police that a Mexican woman named Clara took care of Adriel and then dropped him off in dire condition — a tale she testified that boyfriend Ronny Munoz-Hernandez concocted while they were leaving their Martha Eaton Way home en route to hospital.

Munoz-Hernandez, 25, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He is accused of inflicting fatal injuries on the infant.

“At the time, I was confused and filled with emotions. I knew (his prognosis was grim) but I had hopes he wouldn’t (die),” she told the jury.

Within eight hours, she returned to police to “tell the truth. It was Ronny caring for my baby.”

DaSilva spent nine weeks, sleeping in the hospital waiting room, while her child was on life support.

“He never woke up,” and died a couple of days after life support was removed, “in my arms,” the emotional woman testified.

The boyfriend, who had barely cared for his girlfriend’s son during the few months of their relationship, cared for Adriel on Sept. 11, 2010 from shortly after 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next morning as DaSilva attended a wedding and reception.

Munoz-Hernandez abandoned Adriel three times while babysitting so that he could get his nails done, his hair dyed and buy some pot, court heard.

The boyfriend had scant experience feeding or changing the boy’s diapers, court heard.

When DaSilva returned home from the reception, she took a brief glimpse at the sleeping Adriel in his darkened room.

When Munoz-Hernandez awoke on Sept. 12, 2010, he discovered the baby unresponsive. DaSilva stripped away her baby’s clothes and discovered to her shock that he was covered in ugly bruises, from a scratch on his nose to a purple penis and a bite on his torso.

Adriel was limp, not wrapping his chubby arms around his mom as usual.

She testified that she demanded explanations, but he offered none and expressed his fear of jail. He left DaSilva and Adriel at Sick Kids, disappearing for 10 months.

DaSilva insisted she never hurt her baby and put him first, although she moved around or slept over at friends’ homes frequently during Adriel’s life.

Defence lawyer Paula Rochman asked DaSilva why she and her baby left her grandmother’s home where there was a loving caregiver in order to move into Munoz-Hernandez’s crowded one-bedroom apartment which was shared by five adults and three children.

She denied that she was kicked out of her devoutly Catholic grandmother’s home.

DaSilva told police her son “would always go to Ronny, who really liked Adriel a lot, saying, ‘This is my son. I love him and everything like that.’ Ronny would always kiss and hug Adriel and tell him that he loved him.”

DaSilva, who turns 23 Thursday, admitted she lied initially to police that a Mexican woman named Clara took care of Adriel and then dropped him off in dire condition — a tale she testified that boyfriend Ronny Munoz-Hernandez concocted while they were leaving their Martha Eaton Way home en route to hospital.

Munoz-Hernandez, 25, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He is accused of inflicting fatal injuries on the infant.

“At the time, I was confused and filled with emotions. I knew (his prognosis was grim) but I had hopes he wouldn’t (die),” she told the jury.